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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/26353549">Season 2 but it's actually better</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/Clairedeluna/pseuds/Clairedeluna'>Clairedeluna</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>The Society (TV 2019)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Angst, Canon-Typical Violence, Eventual Happy Ending, F/F, F/M, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Gen, Grizzam, M/M, Major Character Injury, Marry/Hickey, Multi, New Ham (The Society), Other, Violence</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>In-Progress</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-11-03</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-11-03</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-18 06:33:46</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Mature</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>3</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>8,875</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/26353549</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/Clairedeluna/pseuds/Clairedeluna</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Our story beggins only a day after Allie and Will were arrested, the same day the search party returned from the woods.</p><p>Following the end of the first season, this is my headcanon of what would have happened if they had recorded the second season (we haven't lost hope yet, tho). Hence the name, Season 2 but it's actually better BECAUSE IT ACTUALLY HAPPENS. </p><p>It's going to cover the events I believe could have been already written on the scripts THEY ALREADY HAD for Season 2 if Shitflix wasn't so full of shit.</p><p>And also a lot of what we all craved *wink* *wink*.<br/>Yes, I'm talking Grizzam. AND SO MUCH MORE.<br/>Hopefully someone would like it.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Bean/Gwen (The Society), Elle Tomkins/Helena Wu, Harry Bingham/Allie Pressman, Harry Bingham/Mickey (The society), Kelly Aldrich/Becca Gelb, Kelly Aldrich/Harry Bingham, Kelly Aldrich/Will LeClair, Luke Holbrook/Helena Wu, Sam Eliot/Gareth "Grizz" Visser, Will LeClair/Allie Pressman</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>10</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>38</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. Where we stand</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Only a day had passed since Allie and Will were arrested, the same day the search party returned from the woods with news about finding new land.</p><p>After looking through the crowd of people formed around the cars, Grizz finally gave up and asked about who had him worrying by their absence. He returned to his house only to find a distressed Mickey, still carrying his backpack and covered in dirt from the woods. He offered him to stay as long as he wanted after he explained the new policy on going back to their own houses, resulting on Harry kicking him out, as well as the rest of the people living on his house.</p><p>People on New Ham knew little to nothing about what happened. The only thing they could all agree on was Harry and Lexie taking over the management, after the Guard decided to put Allie and Will under custody, supposedly because they wanted to cheat to win the elections. Grizz was dubious to believe those allegations, nonetheless he had to worry about the new land they found and the best way to proceed on that.</p><p>He and Mickey spent the first night making plans for the field, discussing the optimum way to use the terrain and trying to come up with an irrigation system to drag water from the lake near the field. But in that particular subject, they were out of ideas. At two in the morning they got tired and decided to go to sleep, but Grizz stayed up long after Mickey went to bed, wondering if it would be a good idea to pay a visit to the newest citizen of New Ham.</p><p> </p>
<hr/><p> </p><p>Becca was resting on the hospital bed, it had been a couple of rough nights after having Eden. Her body had weakened and Kelly insisted it would be better for her and Sam if they stayed at the clinic, just in case.</p><p>She appreciated the tranquility. Ever since the poisoning incident, people came and went to the hospital only so often, and she knew once they returned home it would be a mess dealing with a baby in a house crowded with people. Sam was still living on his cousins’ home, but Becca thought it would make more sense for them three to move to her old house. It was the obvious option, now that they were a nuclear family, at least on the appearances. But every time she tried to discuss this with Sam he changed the subject.</p><p>Right now he just avoided the conversation again, carrying Eden to his room, where he had the changing station set up. Someone knocked on her door, and Kelly’s face smiled at her widely.</p><p>“See? I told you someone would eventually come visit.” She entered the room, followed by a tall men with a package on his hands. “I’ll go find Sam and Eden, I think he took her for a walk to calm her down.”</p><p>“That’s fine, I have to run, actually,” Grizz said, waving at Kelly’s offer. “I can’t stay long, I have… stuff to take care of, anyway.”</p><p>She still left the room, closing the door behind her. Becca shifted in bed, embarrassed to be seen on her pajamas, not having taking care of herself at all for the last couple of days. Grizz must had noticed, because he looked away and began unfolding the package he carried.</p><p>“Thanks for coming,” Becca said, taking the present he gave her with dubious hands. “Very thoughtful, thank you.”</p><p>“It’s nothing, just something I found last night. My mother kept a lot of stuff on the basement from when I was younger.” He chuckled a little, playing with one of the arms of the tiny piece of clothing he just gave her. “But I’m not going to wear it any time soon, so, you should have it. Besides, is getting cold outside, I figured the baby could use warm clothes.”</p><p>She thanked him again and told him about the last few days and how almost nobody had come to visit them. He went quitter when she told him they hadn’t seen Gordie since the day of the election, when he told them everything went great, so she asked about his trip to the woods. He was telling her all about it when the door opened again and Sam came inside with Eden on his arms.</p><p>“I was wondering where you were. Grizz was telling me all about the woods.” Becca spoke while making the signs with her hands so Sam would read her as well. “They found land, Sam! Isn’t it great?” She waved at him after realizing he wasn’t paying attention, distracted looking at the baby coat put on her bed. “Sam?”</p><p>“Yes, absolutely,” he nodded, approaching the cradle on one side of the bed, opposite from where Grizz was standing.</p><p>“Oh, just give her to me,” she mouthed silently, gesturing with both hands. Sam put the baby on her arms with care and once she had her head secured he stepped away. “Thank you, love,” Becca spoke fondly. Eden’s nose was a little bit cold and Becca covered her with her own blanket to warm her up. “Hey, say hello to Grizz, he just might have saved you from starvation.”</p><p>Nobody said anything, and when Becca raised her sight from her daughter Sam had a strange look on his face, while Grizz simply stared at them with glassy eyes.</p><p>“Do you wanna hold her?” she invited Grizz. “He’s so moved, he’s about to cry,” she only gestured sing language to Sam with her free hand, to what he responded with a dry nod. “What is it?”</p><p>Grizz opened his mouth dubiously, just to shut it again when the door opened again. “I should go. I have to talk to Luke about what happened with the elections and… I really need to go now.”</p><p>“No, what is it? Why aren’t you telling me?” Kelly approached her from the door to calm her down, but Becca had been suspicious for a while, and now she wanted answers. “Somebody has to tell me what’s going on, right now.” She knew how threatening her voice sounded, and she wasn’t afraid to use it.</p><p>“Becca, relax, don’t raise your voice or Eden…” Kelly tried, but the baby was already growling. “I’ll tell you, but just calm down, you have nothing to worry about.” The skinny girl seated on the bed with her, squeezing her arm around her.</p><p>Grizz made another excuse and left the room, leaving the four of them alone. Sam was quietly staring at Kelly while she explained what actually happened at the almost elections, because there never were.</p><p>“Did you knew about this?” she asked Sam, trembling.</p><p>“I had no idea, Becca, I promise.” Sam looked at her frowning, then faced Kelly. “Where’s my cousin?”</p><p>“I don’t know, we don’t know where they’re keeping them,” she responded with an apologetic look on her eyes. “Guys, I’m sorry. Gordie thought it would be for the best if we didn’t tell you about this. We didn’t want to upset you after labor.”</p><p>“And lying was the best idea you could think of? I just had a baby, it’s time you stop treating me like a child. I can handle reality,” Becca said, turning her head towards Sam. “Sorry, for a moment I thought… I know you wouldn’t lie to me.”</p><p>Sam gave her a wary look and stood up. “I have to go, I’ll be back in a second, don’t worry. I need to know what happened.” He closed the door after he left, leaving the girls alone again.</p><p>Kelly looked worried about Becca’s anger, but she settled down after she told her all the details. Sam came back shortly after, more distressed than before. He was practically crying and Becca guessed he was affected by the news about Allie. After she explained to him what Kelly had told her, he locked himself in his room and didn’t join them until hours later.</p><p>They spent the rest of the night discussing where they should live from now on. Sam stayed out of the conversation, agreeing on some of the points they made, but mostly it was Kelly and Becca deciding if they should move into Kelly’s home or not, because it was a bigger house and the three of them would take care of the baby more easily. They never came close to reach an understanding.</p><p>After a short quiet dinner, Becca fell asleep swinging the cradle beside her, with Kelly hugging her from the other side of the bed.</p><p> </p>
<hr/><p> </p><p>Luckily, he didn’t have to work today, the guys had it covered. He was eating alone at her fiancée’s kitchen and drinking a protein shake, vanilla flavor. After his state of mind these past few days, Luke wanted to work out a bit. He figured some exercise would clear his head.</p><p>Helena was at the Church for the day, speaking to the community. She took very seriously her role on all of this, which was making sure people wouldn’t panic about the change of mayoralty on the town. It made him feel guilty for not telling her the truth, but he was more worried for her wellbeing than haunted by the lie Campbell made him tell, threatening him not so subtly on the process.</p><p>Someone knocked on the front door, almost giving him a heart attack. He wasn’t expecting anybody that time of the day. It was only Grizz, who greeted him with a warm hug and joined him on the kitchen, telling him about the search party and what they found.</p><p>Luke had been avoiding his friend for a couple of days, not wanting to face who probably was the last remaining member of the guard with brain function. But ever since Grizz left the guys again, this time to search for land, it felt like he wasn’t one of them anymore, and Luke wondered if he could ever replace Grizz as the thinking head among the muscles.</p><p>All the guilt he experienced for the past week came back to his chest once Grizz changed the subject and looked at him in the eyes, with a serious look on his face.</p><p>“Man, it must have been rough experiencing all of that. For you, personally. After you promised her to back her up, to protect her. I mean, after what happened to Cassandra we asked her to step up and take control and… All that trust, just to end up in betrayal.” Grizz made a pause, looking at his friend with x-ray eyes. “If I were you, I’m sure I would be furious about it.” He took a sip from the beer Luke had gave him, shaking his head. “So you heard them talk about the election, and how they controlled the ballots?” He waited for Luke to confirm with a nod before speaking again. “You had no other option but to tell everybody. The truth would set you free.”</p><p>“Yeah man, thank you,” Luke managed to say, swallowing his burden feel.</p><p>“No, thank <em>you</em>, this town would be lost without you. How were people supposed to believe that Harry and Lexie were telling the truth if you never stood up to confirm it?” Grizz rambled. “Even now, there’s still people who don’t fully believe on it. I myself find it hard to believe,” he said, lowering his voice. “But you are my best friend, you would never lie to me. I have no other option, but to trust you on this one.”</p><p>Luke’s insides froze for a second, wondering if Grizz meant something else with his words or if he was reading too much into it. His friend watched him with a carefree expression, but his eyes were locked on Luke’s, and suddenly he couldn’t handle the staring any longer.</p><p>“Look, Grizz. This is been hard for all of us,” he spoke dubiously. “Whatever you want to believe, it’s up to you, but I’m telling you this in confidence. You shouldn’t be talking about it so easily, things can go bad any minute now, and people don’t need to start a riot. Lexie is actually doing a pretty good job, Harry…” Luke cough, avoiding to talk about the guy in particular. “And so far, Campbell hasn’t given us any problems, so it should be fine if we all stick to our script and play our parts.”</p><p>“Campbell? What does he has to do with all of this?” Grizz inquired.</p><p>“Nothing, I mean… He’s kind of a consultant, for Lexie and specially Harry. Kind of like what Will did to Allie, he’s their left hand.”</p><p>Grizz blinked twice before speaking. “You meant right hand?”</p><p>“Yeah, whatever,” Luke said.</p><p>“Okay. So, they both are the mayors, and Campbell is a council member, just like if the elections had happened. But who are the other council members? They were supposed to be four. Five counting the mayor, in case on any ties,” Grizz explained.</p><p>“Well, for now, they are three, so we’re good, it’s an odd number,” Luke assured him, but Grizz didn’t seem convinced by that. “You don’t have to worry about this, things will remain almost the same, Lexie said it: the changes would happen slowly. For now, you only worry should be the Farmville project.”</p><p>Grizz rolled up his eyes, nonetheless laughing at his joke. Luke patted his shoulder and went to the fridge to have another beer with his friend.</p><p> </p>
<hr/><p> </p><p>It was a cloudy morning when she arrived at the main street. The early shift on garbage duty was on schedule, doing their jobs. She heard about a couple of people trying to skip the week before because of the bad weather. Apparently the Guard had handle it pretty strongly, nobody knew exactly what they did, but now people were scared of crossing the head of the town.</p><p>Bean walked quicker, shoving her hands on her pockets to warm her fingers. She waited for a while at the door of the city hall until the person she was hopping to see appeared. Lexie was holding a coffee with her bare hands, cup steaming. She gave her a nod and tried to pass by her, but Bean followed her inside.</p><p>“I’ve been trying to talk to you. You have to listen to me, Lexie,” Bean said to her back.</p><p>“I already told Grizz, the forest project is on hold until the winter weather passes by, there’s nothing we can do about it during winter.” Lexie walked towards the stairs, trying to avoid further conversation, but Bean followed her shortly.</p><p>“I’m not here to talk about that.” Bean said with an understanding note on her voice. Lexie gave her a glance from the top of the stairs, and it encouraged her to approach her and talk more freely. “People are scared, Lex.”</p><p>“What do you expect me to do about that? I can’t control how people are feeling,” Lexie said bluntly.</p><p>“Surely there’s something you can do about it,” Bean waited for her to give her an answer, but Lexie just frowned. “Can we speak in private?”</p><p>Lexie doubted for a second, watching over her shoulder. She made a sudden movement for her to follow and headed to a room, her office, Bean guessed at first. It was a small room with two empty desks and no windows, filled with dust. Clearly nobody had bothered to clean it up in months.</p><p>“Look, Bean, you have to stop this. I told you the other day, they are being treated with respect and dignity, which is more than she deserved after what they did to me when I was at the wine cellar,” Lexie said.</p><p>“But where are they? Why can’t I visit them?” Bean said loudly, gesturing with her hand. “It’s fishy, Lex, seems like the opposite of what you were trying to enforce when you tried the elections.”</p><p>“Lower your voice!” Lexie almost mouthed silently “Are you crazy? Do you want to be next?”</p><p>“What the fuck is that supposed to mean?” Bean asked.</p><p>“You are smart, right?” Lexie raised her eyebrows with a knowing expression. “I was going to offer you a council seat, since we’re low on brains and I could use the help. But if you are going to be a pain in the ass-”</p><p>“You are trying to bribe me?” Bean jaw dropped for a second. “This is unbelievable. You are full of shit.”</p><p>“Wait! You don’t understand, Bean. And I can’t talk to you in here.” Lexie’s eyes were genuinely scared, and for a second, she saw her cheerful friend from improv class, who always struggled faking hard emotions, reaching out to her. “Please, not here, not now. Please, Bean, I’m doing the best I can. I need you to trust me on this.”</p><p>Bean settled and agreed on hearing what Lexie had in mind for the future of the council, later that same week. She didn’t told her exactly where and when, but made her promise not to tell anybody and stop dragging attention to herself.</p><p>After twenty minutes, she left alone the city hall and returned to the main street, were she found her friend, dressing in white coat and beanie, looking like a snowman.</p><p>“Well?” she inquired mouthing.</p><p>“Nothing,” Bean lied.</p><p>“Probably for the best. I told you, you shouldn’t get involved on that.” Gwen placed her arm over Beans shoulders. “I’m at peace waiting a couple moths to start the back-breaking work on the fields. Spending the day at the warmth of the stove on kitchen duty doesn’t sound bad to me.”</p><p>Bean changed the subject, not wanting her to know what was really on her mind. “How are things at home? Are you still at Helena’s?”</p><p>“Yes, and ever since Clark moved with Jason and we’re no longer supposed to share space I have a room for myself. The offer is still standing, if you change your mind,” Gwen said smiling under the scarf.</p><p>Bean was tempted, but she had an agenda to follow. “No, I’m okay living by myself. I used to live at Allie’s because we are friends and I was comfortable, but Helena and I aren’t that close and it would be weird.”</p><p>“No, it wouldn’t! I already told her and she’s happy to have you!”</p><p>“Gwen, just… Let’s talk about it some other time,” it was the only thing she would say without giving away her real thoughts about Helena. “I’m going home, I don’t have to work until tonight and could use some sleep.”</p><p>“Okay. Do you want to meet later?” She asked smiling.</p><p>“Sure, after my shift. See you at my place, then,” Bean said with her best game face on.</p><p>“It’s a date, lady!” Gwen joked, already walking away from her.</p><p>Bean responded with a shy laugh to her joke, half embarrassed, half guilty for lying to her girl friend. She began walking the street that lead towards her house, but once she made sure Gwen wasn’t anywhere in sight and nobody could tell where she was heading, she changed her path, walking faster, watching over her shoulders.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>I hope you enjoyed reading it as much as I enjoyed writting! I'll try posting the nexts chapters as soon as I can. Please, feel free to leave notes or corrections, as I tell everybody, English is actually not my first language, so everything you want to say, say it! Criticism is always welcome!</p><p>PS: This chapter initially included a propper Grizzam reunion, but i couldn't help myself. Yes, Sam ran after him at the hospital, and yes, we didn't get to see what happened from Becca's POV. But it's on the next chapter, I swear. SORRY.</p><p>Please wear a mask, remember to drink water and, as my son once said to my other son:<br/>I'll see you soon.</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. Our paths</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Second chapter at least!<br/>Helena POV and finally a Grizzam reunion from Sam's POV.<br/>Have fun reading!</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Less people than last time came to her speech that morning. She blamed it on the weather, every day getting colder, but in reality she knew some people were already losing faith. Helena herself doubted her own intuition since Allie betrayal, hating herself for having put her trust on her.</p>
<p>It was the first time she saw Elle on the crowd for a while. To her own surprise, she didn’t look so bad. But Helena knew she had faked it before and was sure she was doing it again. Unfortunately, after her speech, Campbell hugged her waist and they walked away, making it impossible for Helena to approach her and talk. She found some comfort on the quick smile Elle gave her, almost unnoticeable, before turning and leaving. Helena prayed in silence for her wellbeing, asking her god to keep her safe and lead her on the journey ahead.</p>
<p>She was leaving the Church when Gwen joined her on her way home, clasping their arms together against the cold wind.</p>
<p>“Nice discourse, very eloquent,” she mocked her.</p>
<p>“Not funny, Gwen. People need to come together on those times of uncertainty.”</p>
<p>“I was being serious,” Gwen hugged her arm tighter, watching her closely. “Don’t worry about it, is just the weather. I don’t want to leave my room in the morning either. I wouldn’t have done it today if I could have skipped the cafeteria shift.” She noticed the disapproval on Helena’s face and smiled. “I’m joking, of course I was coming to hear you.”</p>
<p>“It’s fine, really. I understand. After all we have been through, people are hopeless, they don’t know what to believe anymore. Sometimes I found it hard myself.”</p>
<p>Gwen remained silent for a few minutes, not giving away her thought. “You know, I wasn’t here when it all happened, so I can’t really know if what they are saying about Allie is true. But keeping Will locked too is shady. And I’ve heard no one has been allowed to visit them.”</p>
<p>“I already told you, they’re not at Luke’s house, don’t ask me again.” Luke didn’t trust her with the location either, but she wasn’t going to mention it. In fact, she wasn’t really sure if he knew exactly where they were. “Luke and the Guard did what they had to, Allie had the intention to manipulate the elections. I think she was blinded by the power after killing Dewey.”</p>
<p>“That person killed Cassandra, have you forget?” Gwen said, making Helena remember what Gwen had told her about him, before it all happened. “And besides, you are the one with a full armory on her basement. It’s a bit unfair being judgmental about it. If you ask me she did us a favor.”</p>
<p>“How could you say that? I don’t have guns to kill people. I hold onto those to protect myself.” Helena frowned, raising her voice on annoyance. “Nobody should be allowed to decide who lives and who dies.”</p>
<p>“That’s my point, Helena.” Gwen said in an infuriated voice. “He shoot Cassandra. You heard what he said about her and all the women in this town. He was a thread to all of us.” Her friend made a pause for her to think about it, but she didn’t have an answer to that. “Would you rather be trapped in this town, running out of food and freezing with a murderer? Didn’t think so.”</p>
<p>“Still, I’m starting to think Lexie had a point about the guard’s entitlement,” Helena pointed out. “Sorry, I know you have your history with Clark, but what they did to her was wrong.”</p>
<p>To her surprise, Gwen agreed with her. “I’m not going to fight you on that. Clark’s been acting weird lately. When we broke up we split apart and we haven’t been so close, but since this all happened I’ve been noticing some weird things. Bad things.”</p>
<p>“What do you mean?” Helena asked.</p>
<p>Gwen lowered her voice, covering her mouth. “The other night some of them beat up some guys who skipped their job assignment. Apparently, Jason’s knuckles were sore when he came home and told Erika about it. We’re not supposed to know, but the word is out there. People are scared.”</p>
<p>Helena remained silent, not knowing whom to support anymore. She remembered Allie ordering Clark to stay away after beating Dewey, not taking part on the execution either, regardless of being one of the first members on the guard.</p>
<p>That night, after dinner, she tried talking to Luke about all of her fears and wonders, but he was distant, as he had been for the past few weeks. Even their short sex life felt something from a distant past. Helena wasn’t sure if he was asleep or just avoiding her company when she woke up and locked herself in the bathroom.</p>
<p>Seated on the toilet, staring at the wall in front of her, she prayed for answers, but the only thing she managed to get were tears.</p>
<p> </p>
<hr/>
<p> </p>
<p>It was late at night, his hand almost froze when he knocked on the familiar front door, trusting the sound to be loud enough. Sam waited shivering, changing his weight from one leg to another. The door finally opened and Grizz was looking back at him with a questioning look on his face.</p>
<p>“Sam. What are you doing here? Did something happen?” He watched his mouth move, not paying much attention to his hands since it was easier for him to read his lips than rely on the few signs he made correctly.</p>
<p>“Is it okay if we talk inside? It’s freezing, it won’t take long.” Sam hoped his voice didn’t sound too lame, begging for another conversation, after what happened at the hospital early that week.</p>
<p>“Of course, come in.” The taller men stepped aside from the door, closing it after Sam entered the room. He said something else but Sam wasn’t able to read him because he was moving to another room, gesturing for him to follow.</p>
<p>Grizz placed a rug on his hands and mouthed again. “You’re still shivering.” He gestured again to the couch where he was seating, waiting for him to explain why he was there.</p>
<p>Sam could have punched him on the face right at this spot, hating him for acting like that. He drove him crazy with his changes of mind, one day kissing him goodbye and promising they would see each other soon, and next time practically sending him to go fuck himself. Sam had had enough of that, but he wasn’t there to talk about his shitty manners.</p>
<p>“I’m not here to talk about last time, I know you don’t want to talk about it anymore, I get it. I just need to say a few-” he stopped talking abruptly, because Grizz’s hand was shaking his arm.</p>
<p>“Sorry,” he mouthed, gesturing with his hand to be quitter. “I’m so sorry Sam, but you’re being loud and Mickey is sleeping on the next room.” Grizz gestured to the door Sam knew for a fact it was his own bedroom.</p>
<p>“Oh,” was all he managed to say, trying to sound not bothered by the fact that another guy was already sleeping on Grizz’s bed. “I... Wow.”</p>
<p>“No!” Grizz eyes opened widely, him shaking his head. “It’s not that. I moved to my parents’ old bedroom. I figured, since nobody is using it… I had nothing else to do this past week so I spent a couple days moving all my stuff there. It’s upstairs, I have my own bathroom, plus, the bed is a queen-size, so.” He put a smile on his stupid face once again, making Sam hate him for what he did to him.</p>
<p>Sam looked away, remembering why he was there for and trying to speak in a lower tone but still clearly enough for Grizz to follow. “I’m not here to talk about us. You made it clear last time-” and he stopped again, with Grizz’s hand squeezing his arm.</p>
<p>Grizz was shaking his head again. “No, Sam, listen-”</p>
<p>“Fuck you!” Sam was sure he said it too loud, but he didn’t care anymore. “Stop interrupting me.”</p>
<p>“God, I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to say that.” Grizz took his own hand away from Sam and mouthed <em>sorry</em> one more time.</p>
<p>“Would you shut up for once and <em>listen</em> to what <em>I</em> have to say?” Sam waved his hands along with his words, spiting every sign. “You are exhausting. You can’t treat me like that.” He didn’t intended to confront him tonight, but once he started it was hard to stop. “I’m tired of you. I get that you were upset about me not telling you about the pregnancy, but honestly, it wasn’t your fucking business. Because it’s not <em>my</em> fucking business to begin with, but you didn’t even gave me a chance to explain. And then you treated me like shit for weeks, only to be nice to me before leaving. I was worried sick about you being bitten by a snake or something worst, did you know that? Of course you didn’t, because you don’t think about others’ feelings.”</p>
<p>Grizz face was frowning, looking like he had something to say, but this time he didn’t interrupt Sam, for a change.</p>
<p>“And then you come back, and I find you days later, just chatting with Becca about your trip, and giving her baby clothes, and when you fucking drop the bomb of the elections that we didn’t even know about, you simply left?” Sam made a pause to take some air and watched Grizz face slowly changing to embarrassment. “When I followed you to ask what the hell was happening you just told me to go fuck myself. What the fuck was that? You know, now that I’m thinking it out laud, I don’t even know why I’m here anymore. I shouldn’t even bother. You are selfish. And you know what? I tried. I was going to tell Becca, and that’s why I followed you. Because I was stupid enough to believe this could work.” Sam watched carefully Grizz’s expression, staring back at him apologetically. “Honestly, I really like you. But I love myself, and I’m not okay with the way you have treated me.”</p>
<p>Grizz waited a reasonable time before he opened his mouth again. “Can I talk?” he shifted his position after Sam gave him a nod. “Look, I’m sorry for how I reacted at the hospital. You are right about everything. I’m an asshole.” He signed all the words he knew, maybe hopping for some compassion, but Sam’s face was carved on stone. “You need to understand, it’s hard for me to see you with her, talking and acting like if you were married, having a baby together. It was so painful seeing you two together. How am I supposed to believe you when you say there’s nothing else between you?”</p>
<p>It was Sam’s turn to shake his head, not being able to hide a sarcastic laugh. “Because I’m gay. I think I have proven that to you. Or what? What we did that night wasn’t gay enough for you? Besides, I’m not the one who has a boy sleeping on his bed. Do you see me madly jealous about it? Asking if there’s something else going on?”</p>
<p>“That’s nuts, Sam,” Grizz said, chuckling nervously. “Mickey is just a friend, and that’s not my room anymore, I told you, I moved upstairs.”</p>
<p>“I know, I believed you the first time you said it. You have some serious trust issues. And Becca is not just a friend, she’s my best friend. She’s been my best friend since I can remember and she just had a child. And I’m gonna take care of them.” Sam made a pause to find the courage to continue. “And if you ask me to choose between you, and them? Well, you won’t like the answer.”</p>
<p>It took Grizz a moment to process what he said. “I understand. I wasn’t going to ask you that.”</p>
<p>“You don’t understand, Grizz.” Sam’s face softened at Grizz’s defeated expression. “You have no idea what is like, for me. When <em>this</em> happened I thought that I could never…” Sam guessed his own voice broke by how it felt to say those words.</p>
<p>Grizz reached him carefully, placing a doubtful hand on his knee to encourage him to keep talking, but Sam looked away.</p>
<p>“It doesn’t matter anymore. This wasn’t why I came here to talk about.” He watched Grizz again, whom just looked back with a questioning face. “I just wanted to thank you for telling me about the elections. It was actually Kelly who told us, but she wasn’t going to say anything until you mentioned it.”</p>
<p>“You really didn’t know? After two days? How is that even possible?”</p>
<p>“We were at the hospital and nobody came to visit. It was just us and Kelly, and Gordie that one time.”</p>
<p>“I’m sorry nobody told you sooner.” Grizz squeezed Sam’s knee again, making him look down at his hand.</p>
<p>“It’s okay,” Sam assured him, placing his hand near Grizz’s. “People often forget who I am. They tend to forget Cassandra was my cousin. She was actually the first person I ever talked to, about me. I was eleven, spring break. She was telling Allie and me about a guy at his grade she fancied. Later that day, when we were alone, I asked why she knew she liked him, and once she explained it, I told her I liked boys the same way she did.” A single tear threatened to fall, remembering her cousin’s dress that sunny afternoon. “She just asked me if I liked blondes or brunets, because his classmate had dark hair, and she told me it was okay for me to like guys, as long as I didn’t liked the same guy she did.” Sam led the tears ran through his cheeks.</p>
<p>“Sam,” Grizz held Sam’s hand tight, not daring to come any closer. “I’m sorry.”</p>
<p>“She’s dead, Grizz,” Sam told him, as if he didn’t realized yet what happened. “And my own brother had something to do with it. Maybe Dewey shoot the gun, but he said Campbell’s name at the trial. And he’s dead now, too. And my other cousin is missing, I haven’t seen her in weeks. He has her. He’s going to hurt her.” Sam’s eyes were filled with terror when he whispered. “What if he decides he wants to kill all my family? What if he hurts Allie, or Eden?”</p>
<p>Grizz blood froze with the thought. “He’s not going to hurt a baby, Sam.”</p>
<p>“He’s a monster,” Sam said with broken voice.</p>
<p>Grizz hugged the smaller boy once he started crying, caressing his head. Sam felt Grizz’s face against his ear and by the sensation he guessed he was telling him something, but he had him so tightly grasped on his arms that Sam wasn’t able to move away to read his lips. It still comforted him for a while, until he stopped crying and stepped back, slightly embarrassed.</p>
<p>“I’m sorry,” Sam said.</p>
<p>“No, what for?” Grizz mouthed. He pulled Sam back closely and made sure he was looking at him when he signed along the words. “It’s going to be fine. <em>We</em> won’t let that happen.” He pointed at both of them when he said the word ‘we’.</p>
<p>Sam wanted to kiss him for the first time that night, but he couldn’t do that. Instead, he broke the hug and stand up. “I should go. It’s late, and I should be there for them.” Sam saw the hurt written all over Grizz’s face.</p>
<p>“It’s freezing out there, it’s probably snowing by now. You can’t walk the streets with this weather,” Grizz tried to convince him.</p>
<p>“I can’t stay here, Grizz. I’m sorry.” Sam thought his words would make Grizz angry again for choosing Becca and Eden over him, but he was wrong.</p>
<p>“I’ll drive you,” Grizz said when he looked again at him, smiling for a second before standing up. “Let’s go.”</p>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>I'm sorry, It's been a while since I last posted. I've been bussy writing other things.<br/>I hope you enjoyed this chapter! I'll get back on track as soon as I can with the story.</p>
<p>I'll see you soon!</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0003"><h2>3. Tender age to term</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Here we are again! Some Kelly and Harry's POVs, for your delight.<br/>I know, I know, It's taken me a while to post this, but I've been just focused in another writings. SSSSSSORRYYYYYY.<br/>Enjoy the fluff, enjoy the angst. Don't hate me please.<br/>Anyways. I'll leave you to it, :*</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Kelly woke up by the distant sound of Eden crying. She wasn’t with them in the room, Sam must have taken het to his room during the night. It was almost dawn, so Kelly rolled carefully out of the bed, trying her best not to wake up Becca. She had a couple of bad sleep nights since she told her the truth about the coup Harry and Lexie pulled out, and Kelly was doing her best to comfort her.</p><p>She left the room, closing slowly the door and walking the hospital hallway through Sam’s room. When she entered the room, she saw a framed figure in the dark rocking softly the baby on his arms. She thought it was Sam until the light from the hallway revealed Grizz’s tired face looking back at her.</p><p>He shook his head. “I don’t know what she wants. Please don’t wake him up,” he pledged, gesturing towards Sam, sleeping on his bed.</p><p>Kelly was puzzled, looking around. She took the baby from Grizz hands without giving it a second thought, not knowing why he was there. She saw the blanket on the small couch and guessed he had been sleeping there.</p><p>“What are you doing here? Why are you in Sam’s bedroom?” she inquired.</p><p>Grizz stumbled with the words, whispering. “I, err… Sam told me he hasn’t sleep in days. He’s afraid of her crying while he’s asleep and not waking up. I said I would wake him if she did, but I didn’t want to bother him.”</p><p>“She’s hungry. I’ll heat up a bottle,” Kelly said, looking at him wary.</p><p>Grizz nodded in response and glanced around, clearly uncomfortable.</p><p>“I can use a hand.” She gestured with her head to come along.</p><p>She didn’t want a stranger around Eden, but she didn’t want him to be in Sam’s bedroom while he was asleep. Kelly haven’t heard before about them being friends, and maybe she was being paranoid, but given Sam’s deafness, Grizz could have entered the room without him noticing. He followed them to the nurses’ breakroom, where she opened the fridge and gestured for him to take a bottle of milk. She gave him the instructions to heat the bottle and got out of the room, knowing the microwave sound would only upset Eden even more.</p><p>Kelly waited outside, looking through a window at the snow, piling on the ground in front of the hospital. There were no new cars parked outside besides an old suv she had seen Grizz drove around. He joined her, handing the bottle. Upon some light, she could see black bags under his eyes and a subtle fuzz on top of his lip. Despite his height and shape, he looked like a tired child, more than ever.</p><p>“I didn’t know you were here,” she said, taking the bottle.</p><p>It was too hot, she didn’t need to try it on her arm to know. They would have to wait a while until it cooled down for Eden to take it. Kelly didn’t have a specific reason not to trust Grizz around Eden, but given the circumstances, she didn’t want anyone else around the child.</p><p>“Why are you here?” she asked again in a whisper.</p><p>Grizz shrugged his arms, biting his lip. “Sam and I are friends.” He looked at the baby, who wouldn’t stop crying. “I just wanted to be helpful.”</p><p>“Okay.” Kelly relaxed a little around him.</p><p>She walked to some seats under the morning light, shortly followed by Grizz after a moment of hesitation. She struggled with the bottle and holding the baby until he offered some help holding her hear while Kelly tried the temperature. Eden was finally silenced once she had her mouth full, and Kelly watched carefully for her to not get any air from the bottle.</p><p>Grizz looked at them tilting his head, with half a smile on his face despite how tired he looked. “She only pooped one time, hours ago. I had to wake up Sam for that, I was afraid of doing it wrong. After that she’s been nice, mostly. I convinced her to sleep twice, before you came.” He closed his eyes, leaning back on his seat.</p><p>“You can sleep in one of the beds, there’s plenty of empty rooms. I’ll take care of her from now on,” Kelly said.</p><p>“Thank you.” Grizz opened his eyes and tossed his hair back.</p><p>He stood up and walked towards Sam’s room, but turned around, looking uncertain.</p><p>“I might just go, it’s late... Or soon, I don’t know. I was just here to help him with the baby, so…” Grizz walked in the opposite direction, only then stopping again and letting out a heavy sight. “I, err… I’m gonna, take my coat and, stuff.” He pointed at Sam’s bedroom and turned again.</p><p>Kelly waited a while for him to walk out the room, long after Eden finished the bottle and she tapped her back softly. She approached the door silently, trying to hear something. She finally heard Sam’s voice, relieved he didn’t sound surprised by Grizz presence. She felt embarrassed by her unjustified mistrust and walked away, going back to Becca’s bedroom.</p><p>She left Eden on her cradle, rocking her until she fell asleep again. Kelly thought about how Grizz didn’t woke Sam, taking care of the baby on his own, just like she did for Becca. She felt relieved Sam had a friend to support him as well, but she didn’t want other people to notice Eden’s. She hadn’t even asked yet about it, she knew she would have to talk about it with Becca soon.</p><p>Kelly was afraid of the answer, but it was unavoidable. People were going to notice soon, they had to be blindfolded not to.</p><p> </p>
<hr/><p> </p><p>When Harry entered the room, all of them were already there, but only Lexie seemed to notice his presence. She was seated across the table, opposite to Campbell, who had his arm around Elle’s shoulders. Harry would have questioned her presence there if he hadn’t been feeling so shitty that morning.</p><p>“Finally, you decided to join us.” Lexie pointed to one of the seats near her, with some papers waiting for him to overlook.</p><p>“How are you feeling, champ?” Campbell greeted him from the other side of the wooden table with a grin and a wink, making silent promises.</p><p>“I was explaining to Campbell and Elle my plans on the new arrangement of the council. The idea is to stablish different committees with clear purposes so the weight of ruling the town doesn’t fall only on one person, or in our case, two co-mayors,” Lexie summarized, pointing at some lines on the documents she apparently had left of Harry’s chair. “As you can see, there should be a person in charge of every group of people, deciding and performing those tasks. The amount of people in each team depends on the kind of task they’ll do. For example: the food supply needs a lot of people, since they’re going to start farming on the lands the search party found once winter passes. On the other hand, job assignments and engineering are tasks that one person or a small group can handle. I also think is important-”</p><p>“I don’t know, Lexie, I think it’s too much power for people doing the job they are supposed to be doing already. You start giving them a chair on the council and next thing you know, the Mayor has no power.” Campbell watched over the shreds of paper on his hand and dismissed them. “Harry, what do you think?”</p><p>He led out a sight and blinked heavily. “Yeah, whatever.”</p><p>Lexie looked at him in annoyance, same as every time he intervened on those pointless meetings. She was complaining about his lack of interest and making a point on why he was a complete waste of space in the room, again. Campbell looked at him with a smile on his mouth that never reached his eyes, making Harry shift on his spot uncomfortable.</p><p>“I mean, what are the other council persons, or whatever you call them?” Harry went through the papers, reading rapidly the marked words and some of the descriptions. Almost every job had already several names attached as suggestions. “Most of those are things people are already doing on their own, why bother?”</p><p>“I don’t want to make the same mistakes Allie did. She held all the power and it blew on her.” Lexie softened her voice, making it sound friendlier. “People were expecting to accompany the new election of a Mayor with new members on the council, they are going to ask for it soon. If we get ahead of their demands we can prevent some bad feedback.”</p><p>“I see. It’s more like a charade, isn’t it?” Campbell made his way on the document again, reading carefully this time.</p><p>“Keeping people happy and calm is important.” Elle intervened for the first time, raising her voice carefully. “I mean, people like Helena or Kelly are already doing that, organizing the prom or speaking at the church makes the others feel like they are part of a community.”</p><p>“I really don’t think meddling with religion would be such a good idea.” Lexie frowned. “The state should stay separated from the church, not everyone has the same believes as Helena and it could divide more than unify.”</p><p>“No, but most people would like it.” Campbell was still reading the documents, not paying attention to Elle’s smile. “They like Helena, they listen to her. I want to have her where I can see her. I like those ideas, but we should have a head of the Guard, make the guys feel more valued, you know? They deserve some power.” He turned towards Elle to see her agreeing nod. “And what is this? Law committee?”</p><p>Harry had to admit, he was impress by how easily she sold the idea to Campbell. But he had the feeling she wouldn’t like the outcome.</p><p>“It’s not a good idea for the guard to have more power, remember what they did to me in that wine-cellar? Or those kids who skipped garbage duty? That was messed up.” Lexie was fuming about it again, using her sharpest voice. “The Law committee is something we really need soon. We need rules: laws and boundaries. I want to avoid a situation like Dewey’s… Execution,” she said the word uncomfortable. “I was thinking about asking the guys on the honor board, they played a role as the jury at his trial.”</p><p>“No, those kids are total losers.” Campbell had a smile on his face as he spoke. “You are gonna need a strong hand on this one. I’ll be the head of the Law committee, that way you two can rest at night.”</p><p>“I think we should have a vote,” Lexie said without looking at anyone at the table more than a second. “Not just about that committee in particular, but for all the jobs.”</p><p>“Bullshit, you were going to give the engineer position to your friend, Beanie or whatever, its right here on the papers. And we have all agreed on giving Helena a seat too.” Campbell turned towards Harry again, seeking his opinion. “Who has helped you more than me?”</p><p>Harry couldn’t find the words to fight or agree with those arguments, he couldn’t care less about this conversation. All he wanted was to get those people out of his house and get his fix. He finally agreed with the guy and gained a wary look from Lexie. The rest of the meeting went quicker, deciding which committees would make the cut on the council and which one were not meant to be a part of it was easy.</p><p>Apparently, medicine, history records or ‘community’ (as they decided to name the job assigned to Helena’s speeches in church and all that stuff) while important, shouldn’t get a vote on the decision making. As for the other five seats at the grownups table, Harry disconnected from the conversation and agreed on everything Campbell said.</p><p>Lexie left the room half a winner half a loser, having her way three against two. None of the guys standing at the door followed her, since she refused from the start to have a guard to protect her. Campbell went straight ahead to give the good news to Jason and Clark. They were probably able to have heard parts of the conversation they just had about them, that’s why Campbell was already giving them their price, making them feel like he did this for them, playing them like he played everybody.</p><p>Harry laid his eyes on Elle, waiting patiently on her seat. There was no trace of the award winning smile she had on her face for the entire time that morning, and if he wasn’t a mess himself, he would have worried about the bags under her eyes. She noticed his stare and changed her expression. Harry didn’t bother making conversation with her. It was a waste of time and words, everything he said to her would pass on to Campbell. It was like speaking with him, but less fun, and probably less dangerous.</p><p>“You have a very nice house,” Elle said standing. She looked around, probably waiting for a response or maybe an object she could comment on, to keep the conversation going on.</p><p>There was no need for that. Harry was just waiting for Campbell to come back and give him his thing. He was doing it on purpose, laughing and joking with the guards, making him wait, stablishing dominance. He was like a dog, pissing all over the three hundred dollar carpet her mother had put on the second living room. But Harry had no more pride to waste on this, the itchiness on his skin was killing him, but he was adamant about nobody acknowledging how bad he was at that point.</p><p>When the shivering started again, he wasn’t able to hide the trembling. “Shit, is cold in here. Jason let the windows open,” Harry lied.</p><p>“This house is too big, it must take hours to heat it,” Elle pointed out. “You could come visit us some day. Ours, I mean, Campbell’s isn’t a mansion, but it’s warm. You should come and have dinner with us.”</p><p>“Yeah, sure. We’ll do that.”</p><p>Harry didn’t trust her nice words or kind smile, he knew she was up to something. There was no way he would do that. It was bad enough for him to have to deal with Campbell every time he needed to, he wasn’t going to do it in social meetings too.</p><p>After a couple minutes, Campbell returned and gave Harry a pointing look. Elle walked away, as a well instructed minion, and the two men went to the other room.</p><p>“Be careful with this ones, I had to change your prescription.” Campbell placed a bag with seven pills on his hand, different than the other he’d been taken. “But I have a feeling you would like those even more.”</p><p>“What are those?” At first Harry wasn’t totally fine with the idea of taking unknown substances, but at this point he was only asking because it was the logical thing to do. He would have taken anything.</p><p>“Don’t worry about it. I wouldn’t take more than one a day if I were you, we are running out of supplies.” Campbell winked and walked out of the room.</p><p>Harry hide the bag on his jacket before leaving the room. His guests didn’t bother saying goodbye to him as they walked out, only Elle looked back to give him a quick nod before shutting the door behind her.</p><p>Harry was left alone with the only company of his constant bodyguard. Apparently it was Clark’s turn, but he didn’t care to ask. He told him to help himself with anything he needed from the fridge and went straight to the bathroom, were he finally opened the bag and swallowed a whole pill. He regretted it instantly, knowing that it would take more time to feel the high that way, and also wondering if one pill would be too much for his body.</p><p>Clark was on the upper floor, taking something stock between the carpet and the TV table. “Dude, I didn’t know you had this game. Wanna play?” he asked with a dumb smile.</p><p>“That’s not mine.” Harry took the tiny card on his hands, trying to figure out who could be stupid enough to lose a Mario Kart’s game at his house. “I don’t have a Nintendo to play it, actually.”</p><p>“What a boomer.” Clark made a pout. “Jason loves to play those games. Give him beer and games and he’ll be happy for hours.”</p><p>Harry didn’t want to be around Clark anymore. He wasn’t his friend, and he didn’t enjoy talking with him about his friends and how much fun they had together. He was pretty sure Campbell had the guard keeping an eye on him. He went to his room, leaving the game on his desk and forgetting about it once the pill started to kick him.</p><p>This time he didn’t even bother playing some music on his IPod, the house was already deadly silent since everyone left. He thought the tranquility would make him feel better, but after a while he noticed how wrong he was. Of course, he didn’t miss having to get in line to take a shit on his own fucking house, but not having any company whatsoever those past weeks made him feel lonely. Kelly didn’t visit him ever again after the elections, but Harry was kind of relieved she didn’t get involved with the mayor-ship and Campbell.</p><p>Once he started to feel drown and dizzy, he covered his body with the blanket and rested his head on the pillows, hiding from the outside world. His thoughts started to pop up and disappear as quickly as they wanted. Knowing he wouldn’t remember any of it when he woke up, he didn’t fight the memories of what happen after the coup took place.</p><p> </p><p> </p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>AAAAAH so this is it. Please leave me some coments if you liked it or what do you think about the story so far!<br/>
ALSO, Let me know in the coments what are your theories about what is going on with Eden... (Not so subtle, Am I now)</p><p> </p><p>BTW, I'm ever so sorry, but I won't be updating this fic anytime soon. I PROMISE I WILL BE BACK, I have it outlined, BUT...<br/>
It's just that I'm very absorbed in writing this other story, and I can't make time to go back to New Ham ;(<br/>
I'll leave the link here in case someone is a WolfStar fan and wants to take a look at this beautiful slowburn:<br/>
</p><p>
  <a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/26685547/chapters/65089462">Kiss me slowly, I'm in a hurry.</a>
</p><p>Again, I'm sorry. I'm so, so sorry.<br/>
I'll see you soon :*</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
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